The Rise of the Red Lotus
by deadlybacon7
Summary: An alternate take on the Legend of Korra, where the Red Lotus successfully abducts Korra in her childhood. She lives and becomes the Avatar with them, instead of her family.
1. Chapter 1

A Legend of Korra Fanfiction by Ethan Hamilton

Prologue

It had been a full year since the Avatar had been announced. The new Avatar was a southern water tribe girl, a mere child named Korra. She had a large reputation to uphold, after Avatar Aang's successes, and she would have an even more difficult time trying to make herself a worthy Avatar, but fortunately, there was a way she could.

Five teenagers sat around a circular table emblazoned with the image of a red flower, and in front of it stood an aging man, an honorable warrior and thinker named Xai Bau. He looked down at the table, spread in front of him were maps and outlines of a plan to be carried out. He sighed and peered over his nose with tired eyes. He focused on each teenager for a brief moment, then began to speak.

"You young men and women have stood with me for some time now, you now have to prove your worth fully. Despite the fact that you are already fully-fledged members of our society, there is a task you must complete, to earn its respect. Of course, you know what I'm talking about. You've made the plans. You've done the research. I have made this project wholly yours and stood out of your way, but now it is time that your efforts come to fruition. Rise, P'li. Rise, Ming Hua. Rise, Ghazan. Rise, Zaheer. Rise, Unalaq. This is your time. This is the time that you will change the world, for better or for worse, and the time that you become fully incarnated beings of the Red Lotus. You all know that I am one for speeches, but true honesty comes with being succinct, and in full, all I say is, you will succeed."

The teenagers around the table looked at each other, then bowed to the old man. When the others sat, Zaheer remained standing. "Thank you, Xai Bau. Failure in this situation is no option. The Avatar will be ours, and come time to pass, you will find that this world stands perfectly balanced."

He sat back down, and rested his elbows on the table, folding his hands together and resting them upon his lips. No one spoke. It was zen in the room, until they were interrupted by a messenger.

"Your time to leave is now. The boat is ready, and the crew is prepared."

Zaheer responded, "Good. Tell the crew that they won't be coming with us. They are to leave the ship and leave everything upon it except themselves."

The messenger turned and left, and the teenagers left without a word.

It was a week until the group arrived at the Southern Water Tribe. The way had been icy and they had landed three miles away from the Capital. They trekked easily, not many cared to leave the relative safety and comfort of the Capital. Eventually, they arrived and decided to stay in an inn. Once they ditched most of their equipment, the convened with Unalaq, who had spread plans and maps upon the small table in his room.

"The Southern Water Tribe, how inferior. Look, how small that 'palace' my brother lives in is. Anyway, we all know that Tonraq's daughter is the Avatar. She's obviously well protected, by both Southern Water Tribe troops and the White Lotus. Neither will be able to contend with us. Tomorrow at noon, we will carry out the raid."

The rest of the group nodded and returned to their respective rooms. They had grown close enough as members of this secret society that they hadn't much need for speaking anymore, though Unalaq noticed P'li went towards Zaheer's room instead of her own.

Everybody slept easily, the trek had been difficult through the winter snows, and come morning, they would need a rested mind and body.

Once the sun dawned, each member awoke and headed different ways to find breakfast. Travelling closely would be extremely suspicious, especially in the bit of a social disconnect that was the Southern Water Tribe. 11:30 came and the members found each other outside of the Southern Palace. Unalaq nodded, and walked into the palace to find his brother. It would be important to keep Tonraq distracted, he was their biggest threat. Everyone else waited a solid half an hour, and when the sun stood above them in the sky, the began. Unalaq had shared all of the maps about where Korra would be, it was up to everyone else to use them.

The first step was Ming Hua's. She scaled the side of the palace, an icy wonder. She peered lightly in the windows made of ice and eventually found Korra's room. She confirmed that the little Avatar was inside, sleeping no less, and signalled the rest. She bent small hand and footholds into the walls and allowed her allies to scale the building. Zaheer arrived first just as planned. Ming Hua melted the window to Korra's room and allowed Zaheer to enter, light as a feather. The nonbender crept over to where Korra still slept and delicately gagged, blindfolded, and bound her. He threw her over his shoulder and she woke and tried to resist, but no five-year old could struggle against the man. Ming Hua formed an ice slide in the palace wall and Zaheer deposited Korra into it, with Ghazan at the bottom to take her.

Ghazan, P'li, and Zaheer left while Ming Hua returned the palace wall to its previous state, then caught up with the rest. With the Avatar in hand, the group returned to the inn quietly to await Unalaq's return. Half an hour later, they were greeted by the Northern Chief.

"I see you have the Avatar," said Unalaq, "I take it everything went well for you."

"Yea, the girl's here. We should return to the compound, as soon as possible," replied Ghazan. "Anyway, what did you say to Tonraq?"

"I asked him to allow me to be Korra's spiritual advisor. I knew he would disallow it, and sure enough, he did. My brother was never one to truly respect the spirits. We will return. This is only the first step, now we must realize the Avatar."

"Yes," said Zaheer, "The Avatar will mold to our goals. We are the only ones truly fit to teach her, and we are the only ones who truly understand the balance. There will be a new world order, but first we must be patient." Zaheer turned to Korra, lying against the wall, eyes wide with fear. "You have much to learn, but you'll find that with your teachings you will become the most powerful, revered Avatar to ever live."

Chapter One: Earth

It had been seven years since Korra's abduction. The world leaders had been outraged of the development, although there was no evidence that Korra was abducted in the first place. Initially, Tonraq and his subordinates had thought that Korra had gotten lost, left the palace and ventured into the wild, and for two years they searched the entirety of the south pole, but they found no lost girls. Eventually, her disappearance had been chalked up to an abduction, and for three years they attempted to find any possible evidence, although their devotion to the cause narrowed each month without a trace of her. They concluded she was probably dead and began a search for a new Avatar, a search that lasted for a year and a half before they knew no new Avatar had been born. Again, Tonraq claimed Korra had been abducted, though her disappearance had slipped off the world stage and Tonraq found it increasingly difficult to find anyone devoted to his cause, even among the ranks of the White Lotus. In this world of increasing change, people had almost completely forgotten of the Avatar's existence.

Nevertheless, Korra lived. Unalaq took her to live with him at the Northern Water Tribe Palace, although at first she was completely uncooperative. The first few years were difficult. Early on Korra absolutely refused Unalaq, and so he had to resort to more drastic measures. A fantastic hypnotist was found and used to manipulate Korra's mind. The young Avatar spent months in a hypnotic trance, where her entire understanding of her past was altered. Eventually, she had no recollection of anything she had known before and was led to believe she had been born to Unalaq. After the hypnosis, Unalaq began training Korra seriously in waterbending, as well as providing her with a standard education. Xui Bau provided lessons in philosophy and wisdom to prepare her for her life as a new Avatar, though Korra had no recollection of being the Avatar.

The shape of the water was round, a bubble of liquid that floated perfectly in midair. Its suspension was elegant, and waves rippled across the flawlessness of its surface. Under the regal blob knelt Korra, her eyes closed and her arms raised, suspending the water above her head. She had learned how to use the water to meditate, finding so much she could learn from it. Its serenity in peace, its lethality in combat. Slowly, her eyes opened, and she found Unalaq walking toward her. They were outside the Northern Water Palace, on a terrace near the top. Korra let the water fall perfectly around her and freeze into ice, then rising to stand in the center of it.

"Hello, master Unalaq. You're interrupting my study, is there something important?"

"Yes," he replied, "your presence is required. Important events are transpiring, and your life is changing. Xui Bau requests your presence in addition to myself."

"But, what? Can you not tell me here, why I'm being interrupted, in the middle of something so important?" Korra sighed through her nose and narrowed her eyes. She could definitely feel herself growing frustrated. _Remember the meditation. Serene in peace._ It could be difficult at times, for Korra to control her frustration.

"We can't talk here. It's not safe." Unalaq turned on a point and began walking back into the palace. He knew Korra would follow, he had piqued her interest. Sure enough, Korra sighed and met Unalaq's pace.

In the meeting room, Xai Bau stood in the front as she expected. It was an unexpected surprise to see Zaheer seated at the table. He had grown to something like an uncle to her, an excellent mentor but one who would give advice only sparingly. In addition, three adults that Korra vaguely recognized sat at the table as well. A bearded earthbender, an armless waterbender, and a firebender with a third eye tattooed upon her forehead. Xai Bau spoke, he was one for speeches.

"Welcome Korra, you'll find here that our full formidable company is assembled. It is rare that a group of benders and nonbenders both this powerful would find themselves joined in one similar cause, as is natural of our order."

"What order?" Korra replied, "You mean to tell me, there is more than what I see? These people are not just friends to us?"

"No, certainly not just friends, though we have grown close in our years of service. You could consider us colleagues perhaps. The fact of the matter is, our lives all are about to change drastically. You won't remember us the way that we are, we removed that memory from you long ago. I am aging, my death is soon to come. In addition, men from the southern water tribe come our way, seeking something they lost long ago. Something so valuable that they will stop at nothing to get it back."

"What could be that valuable, so valuable the flimsy south would challenge their northern superiors to obtain?" Asked Korra.

"You, dear. You, Korra, also known as Noma, you are not an average waterbending girl, though surely you guessed that. Not only are you a gifted waterbender, one with education and ways with spirits, no, you are the Avatar."

"The Avatar? Then, you must be the White Lotus, the society to protect, to train me."

"No, quite the opposite. The old way has been to tell the Avatar his or her title at the age of sixteen. Fortunately, the White Lotus happens to be an excellent example of how old ways can change so greatly. The White Lotus used to be a secret society, before they came out openly in their service of the Avatar and the Globe. No, we are not the White Lotus, we are the Red Lotus. A spawn of a society which wronged the traditional ways and laid waste to the goals which it had been created to achieve. We are those that find and create true balance, equality, peace, a natural order. The time has come for a new natural order, and you, Avatar Korra, are integral in that way, in order to fulfill your duty as Avatar and create true balance."

Korra's jaw had dropped a minute ago, but Xui Bau had not seemed to notice. Slowly, Korra slid into a seat behind the table and continued to listen to the old man speak.

"You know the Avatar Cycle, that an Avatar will learn fire, air, water, and earth. In that order. The time has come for you to truly begin your training. You are a master waterbender, a twelve year old master waterbender, but you are also the Avatar and you do not know earthbending. You do not know firebending, nor airbending." Xui Bau suddenly took a seat. "Ghazan, speak."

The bearded earthbender named Ghazan stood. He was tall with such long hair, and physically intimidating. He looked at Korra, eyes like lasers, eyes that could penetrate and murder your mind, without saying a word.

"Yea, it's time for you to learn earthbending. I've had some time, ever since I was designated to be your teacher, to think about how I was going to teach you. It's a tricky task, since earthbending is so… noticeable. We're going to the Quarry. It's in a mountain range to the southeast of the Earth Kingdom. Interestingly enough, Avatar Aang learned to earthbend there. Hopefully, you'll pick up a little bit with the memory from your past lives. Unfortunately, Avatar Aang wasn't exactly in strong agreement with us on many things, hopefully you won't tune in to that. We're leaving tomorrow morning."

Ghazan sat back down, having said all he believed necessary. Xui Bau nodded, and began to close out the meeting. "I grow old. I will stay here, but you all know or will know what we are destined for. You'll find many Red Lotus collaborators on your travels, and hopefully you will be quick picking up the elements. Your power is limitless."

Unalaq interjected with the pause in Xui Bau's speech. "I will not be going either. As we mentioned, members of the Southern Water Tribe are on their way here. I will have to deal with them to defuse any… suspicions between us. They believe the Avatar is here, and for now they are correct, but their goal to obtain her is truly ridiculous. I will put them in their place."

_Strange, that the Southern Water Tribe would be so interested in having me. I know none of them and can not truly help them either, _thought Korra.

"Good good, we can't have Korra slipping into their grasp. This meeting is over. As per usual, there will be no discussion of the events which have transpired here within the hearing and distinction of anyone not in this room at this time. Good luck to you all, and good luck Avatar Korra."

The members of the Red Lotus exited quickly, leaving Korra, Unalaq, and Xui Bau. "You have questions," stated Xui Bau.

"How could I not? I… I'm the Avatar! Why exactly is the Southern Water Tribe after me? The Red Lotus? Am I in it? How am I supposed to handle this kind of responsibility? Am I really Korra?" Korra was almost rising from her seat. It was unbelievable, to think she hadn't had a clue before.

"Your questions will be answered in time, some of them now. The Southern Water Tribe is not after you necessarily, but they are on their way due to suspicions of illegal acts against them, committed by the North. All allegations are almost definitely wrong. As for the Red Lotus, for now you can be considered an ally. Admission to our circle is rigorous, and without full admission you will never truly have access to the resources our society has to offer. You gain only what we elect to give you. The rest of your questions will have to wait. Enough for now, you must leave. Tomorrow morning you travel, I would recommend you prepare. I may not see you again, although you will hear from me. Farewell, Korra." Xui Bau motioned for Korra to leave and turned to face the wall behind him.

The next morning's departure was early. The sun had barely cracked the horizon, and the temperature was frigid. Korra stood in the harbor of the Northern Water Tribe with Zaheer and the other members of the Red Lotus. A single boat was moored, it was not large but it was said to be swift.

"Today you are taking the first step of your life's great journey," said Zaheer, "and today, I take the first step to my destiny." Zaheer walked up the gangway and to the bow of the ship, and the others followed suit. Korra was the last onboard, and when the boat left the harbor, she retreated to the wheelhouse. There was no shortage of water in this place, she would always be at home on a boat.

The voyage sailed smoothly for a few days. The members of the Red Lotus, except for Zaheer, kept themselves separate from Korra. They would not be friends to her, but teachers. Zaheer was also a teacher, but had been intended by Xui Bau to also be her mentor. The majority of their interactions were philosophical. Zaheer imparted the ideals of the Red Lotus upon her, there was little encouragement for her to form her own interpretation. What Zaheer taught was almost religious. He often cited airbending masters in his lessons, and spoke of honor and mercy, as well as vengeance and strength. He spoke of government and anarchy, chaos and order. Korra listened dutifully, but often felt a tugging in her chest, like something was trying to speak from inside of her.

The sea was flat. Endlessly the same, until a boat was spotted on the horizon. Ming-Hua attempted to steer the ship clear, though the other vessel had spotted them already. A flare of fire arched in the sky, towards their boat, obviously whoever was following them had no peaceful or logical intentions.

"Korra, this is your chance to see what you are capable of," announced Zaheer. The other members of the Red Lotus stepped aside, and although Korra's heart was pounding, she clutched the moment and extinguished the fireball, creating a spout of water to meet it in the air. No more came from the other vessel, it appeared to be reconsidering its actions. Eventually, it turned and resumed its previous path.

"Follow it!" hissed P'li, "we need to take action, vengeance, upon those who have wronged us!"

All the sudden, Korra felt her stomach clench. It wasn't nausea, it wasn't pain, but to Korra it felt like a message, a symbol. "No." Korra stated. "We don't need to, they reached out to us and I let them know we were here, ready to resist. We came to a mutual understanding, besides, you don't know who's on that boat."

P'li opened her mouth to respond, her face contorting in anger, but it was Zaheer who responded. "Korra's right. No need for any more hostilities."

P'li turned to face Zaheer this time, her eyes like daggers. "I suppose you are right," she said, in a slow, biting tone. Slowly, she turned and went below deck.

The confrontation left an unpleasant feeling in the pit of Korra's stomach, one that lasted for several days. In the span of those several days, Korra and the members of the Red Lotus arrived at the Quarry. They had left the boat at a port on the east coast of the Earth Kingdom and trekked to the campsite. When they arrived, there was no one for miles. It was an earthbending paradise, just as Korra had been told. They had four tents pitched and enough food for a week. The plan was for Ghazan to get Korra on her feet for earthbending, so that in ten days time they could take her to train in other disciplines as well.

Ghazan's earthbending training began on the first day.

"This isn't waterbending, nothing like it," began Ghazan, "you will not focus on grace with this power, but instead, power. Earthbending is all about being rooted to that which you use. You must establish a deep, physical connection for anything to happen at all."

Ghazan was not much for repetition of basic technique or forms. He was a powerful, adaptable earthbender, and so he was a difficult teacher. For some time Korra had trouble even lifting a rock with the power, but Ghazan demanded she throw one. When she finally did, and she tried to float the rock, Ghazan demanded she float three. Korra eventually became reliant on particular skills and forms to express her earthbending, but Ghazan quickly deconstructed them.

"You are a fast learner, but I am a fast fighter." Ghazan hurled a rock at Korra, and Korra skillfully deflected it, hurling it away. Ghazan threw two more her way, and she dealt with them, but by that time Ghazan had moved to the other side of her and thrown rocks from two different angles. Korra desperately tried to reposition herself and deal with each rock, but she was unable to do so gracefully and nearly lost her footing. Ghazan did not hesitate, he tried opening the Earth beneath her feet, then closing it. Korra could not stay upright for long, and eventually fell into one of Ghazan's pits.

"You fight like a scroll. Not only can I attempt to defeat you, but I can predict you. You must do away with the forms and the techniques. You have learned them and now you do not need them. In order to earthbend like a true master, like an Avatar, you have to realize how the Earth is only natural. Earthbending is as natural as our bodies and our surroundings, and nature is unpredictable. Forms and techniques are a construction of the intelligent mind, an alteration of nature. Nature as a rule, being unpredictable, makes the unnatural predictable. Order out of chaos, something you will learn more about in the not so distant future."

Ghazan helped Korra out of the pit and returned the Quarry to its natural state.

"As earthbenders it is also our responsibility to protect and respect our environment."

He walked off to the campsite, Korra dusting herself off and following. Her lessons with Ghazan continued throughout the ten day period of which they inhabited the Quarry, but eventually their time there came to an end. On the tenth day Zaheer called the others to meeting and announced their next destination.

"We will travel now to an Earth Kingdom prison. The prison is not important, it houses only their political rivals. This prison is a fantastic example of the horror brought on by the tyrannical regime of the Wu Dynasty. It will be our duty to eliminate this prison and liberate those held within it."

Zaheer pointed to a spot on the map, south of Gaoling in the Eastern Earth Empire. The prison's name was the Da-Zho Penal Complex and it truly held only political prisoners. Somehow, it had found itself on Zaheer's agenda and they were tasked with destroying it. Surely, Zaheer had his reasons, but Korra again felt a tugging deep in her stomach. _It must be since I've stayed here for so long. Just sickness.._ but there was an air of uncertainty in the young Avatar's mind.

Korra and the Red Lotus made their journey to the Da-Zho prison, stopping at towns along the way for food and rest. Throughout the journey, Korra still practiced earthbending relentlessly with Ghazan, who grew fiercer with the less time she had with him. Korra's earthbending skill also continued to grow.

"Keep it up, and you'll be able to fight a nonbender with a shovel," Ghazan would quip.

Eventually, the group arrived at the prison. They spent an hour eating lunch on a precipice that overlooked the complex. Zaheer sat cross-legged at the tip, facing the prison and silently eating. Eventually, he turned around and laid the details of the breakout.

"This liberation will be a mix of stealth and sending our message. None of the guards overseeing the prison will die at our hands, and neither will any of the prisons. The guards will instead be eliminated by tranquilizer, and unaware of where their prisoners have gone or who let them out, until they find the note we've left them. A letter I have already written, addressed to the Earth Queen, detailing to her the offenses she's committed, particularly with the existence of this prison."

Zaheer got up and lifted a knapsack over his shoulder. "Now we will go. Leave the equipment here, no one will come to find it." Zaheer hopped down the cliff, jumping onto various footholds and outcroppings, forcing the others to follow him in their own, unique ways. P'li slid down somewhat like a barrel, Ghazan simply made a staircase, and Ming Hua followed. Unfortunately Ghazan also took away each stair he and the waterbender had already used, forcing Korra to find her own way down. She decided to earthbend a thick rock out of the side, then levitate it to the ground and laying it down gently. She hopped off and threw it back into the cliff, causing large clods of dirt and debris to come cascading down. She followed P'li, as Ghazan and Ming Hua still made their way down.

Eventually, everyone reached the prison and Zaheer directed everyone to specific roles in the operation. Zaheer went in first, eliminating any guards he saw and depositing the letter in the warden's office. Ghazan followed him and took any of the guards Zaheer left behind and deposited them in the middle of the courtyard in a pile. They would have a fun awakening. P'li stood vigil over the entire operation, her combustion-bending was an amazing gift to have as a lookout. Ming Hua and Korra went together to find the prisoners. The prisoners were contained all in metal cells, locked and without keys nearby. Korra nearly yelled in frustration, but Ming Hua silenced her and took water from the waterskins she was carrying.

"Do exactly this." Ming Hua directed, and submerged the cell door. She froze the water, crushing the iron bar door and leaving it twisted and mangled. When Ming Hua took the water away, the door fell to the ground loudly, and the prisoners looked out at her with unsure eyes.

"We're here to free you," said Korra, "let's go." Korra and Ming Hua destroyed the rest of the doors and the prisoners all took the opportunity and ran. There were three doors left when three earthbending prison guards came running down the hallway.

"I thought Zaheer would have taken care of them all!" Snarled Ming Hua, but Korra leapt straight into action. The guards tried to throw some rocks at Korra, but Korra grasped them and turned them around, allowing the full force of the sediment to fly at the guards. Korra then took the water and whipped all three guards with it, knocking them to the ground. At that point, they stopped fighting and gave Korra a look of comprehension. Wordlessly, they fled with the rest of the prisoners.

"That was too easy," Korra stated. Ming Hua looked a little frustrated, her opportunity to fight squandered, but she didn't complain, and she and Korra released the rest of the prisoners. One prisoner did not go with the rest, but rather sauntered straight up to Korra and Ming Hua.

"Hello again Ming Hua! It's been so long, I nearly forgot that I was ever associated with the Red Lotus, or maybe it was the fact that our attempt at political influence had me thrown in jail." The prisoner ended the statement with a tone of displeasure, but Ming Hua would not let him give the cutting gaze he surely wanted to.

"Hello again Fan-Lei." So, the prisoner's name was Fan-Lei. He was young, Korra thought. _Sixteen probably, though that still means at least three years older than me._ Despite his youthful appearance, he could also probably pass for a twenty-five year old. He was fit and tall, and looked to be a firebender, with his golden eyes and perfectly pale skin. "I didn't know you were here, but I bet Zaheer did. Are you going to come back with us? You have nowhere else to be, truly."

Fan-Lei made a show of thinking, reaching his hand to grab his long black hair and twisting his lips, raising his eyebrows and squinting his eyes.

"Maybe," he eventually concluded. "It has truly been a while, two years even. Remind me, how I got locked up for political crimes when I was thirteen." _So only two years older than me._ Korra looked at him intently, he had a charismatic way of body language, even though he took so long to decide to speak.

"Either way, we have to get out of here first." Fan-Lei began walking out of the prison finally, although the rest of the prisoners were long gone. The rest of the Red Lotus convened with Korra, Ming Hua, and Fan-Lei, and Zaheer looked especially unsurprised to see Fan-Lei. He must have known the boy was here, and immediately shook his hand and greeted him again.

"It is amazing to see you again. I'm sorry the Earth Queen decided it was you she had to take."

"I remind you it was for the best. If she had gotten you, who would have come to your rescue?" The two laughed at the joke, and the rest of the ensemble listened on quietly.

"Oh Zaheer, the Earth Queen was hilarious, such a weak person with such a powerful following. Her end is soon, I suppose."

"Yes, soon, but not as soon as you seem to hope. You may have noticed, the Avatar is with us, and she must be taught to bend, she must learn our ways and traditions, our ideals and agendas. I think the Earth Kingdom will have to wait for us."

Fan-Lei's eyebrows raised in genuine surprise this time. "The Avatar, wow, I would never have known, had you not told me." Fan-Lei turned to Korra and offered his hand. She shook it. "I suppose that answers my question, I was wondering who you were."

"My name is Korra," she responded. "I'm from the Northern Water Tribe, it is good to meet you Fan-Lei. You don't seem much older than myself."

"No, I suppose I am not. I forget that sometimes, when I'm talking to these geriatrics as though they are my brothers and sisters. I suppose they are more that than not though, and you will learn of these things soon enough."

Fan-Lei faced back to Zaheer. "I want to join this crew again. It's been a long time that I've been in that prison but I'm itching to see the world again, and it sounds like that is exactly what you are doing. I'll need some things though, like nice clothes and a bostaff."

Zaheer smiled and walked up to Fan-Lei, then continued with his arm around the teenager's shoulder, the two in step and walking away from the prison. "That all can be arranged easily, it would be an honor for you to travel with us again.

**To be continued in Chapter Two: Fire**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 1.5 - Intermission

Korra and the Red Lotus spent the next six months travelling through the Earth Kingdom. Throughout much of their travel, Korra and Ghazan were alone, as the others carried out tasks and missions Zaheer always found for them to do. The Avatar and her master continued earthbending training. Much of it was nondescript, repeating things over and over yet having Ghazan force her to take different actions with each repetition. Eventually, Ghazan began to utilize his lavabending in spars against his student. Korra demanded she learn, but Ghazan continuously told her, "you are not ready." Eventually, he reached the last straw with Korra's insubordinance in this and told her why she wouldn't yet learn lavabending.

"You are a growing earthbender, yes, but lavabending is not the same. You must learn fire first. I told you about how we, as earthbenders, have to respect this earth and its environment, but lavabending is not that. Lavabending is destruction, not quite to the extent of firebending, but destruction nonetheless, and irreparable at that. Besides, it is possible that you can't lavabend, but since you're the Avatar, I somehow doubt that."

Ghazan smiled at Korra, it was a friendly, handsome smile and her frustration almost was washed away by it. Not only was he an excellent earthbender, but he was a skilled manipulator as well. This time, however, Korra could not be dissuaded.

"No! Why not teach me now? You said that it was not as destructive as firebending, so maybe I _should _learn this first!"

Ghazan's smile faded, replaced by an expression of displeasure.

"Korra, no. Firebending is not necessarily more destructive than lavabending. It is simply a purer form of destruction. A practiced firebender can practice the art without leaving a burn on anything, but a lavabender must destroy his environment, regardless of the extent. Learn to control fire, then maybe you will learn to control lava. We have to live at harmony with this earth and we will not have that with you destroying it."

Ghazan, walked away, back to camp. There would be no more conversation, but Korra would not cooperate. Instead, she stood firm, then slipped into an earthbending stance. She unearthed some stone and levitated it in front of her. _Please, stone, heat up, _she thought. She had no idea what would turn this rock into lava, but she tried nonetheless. It took half-an-hour, but finally the rock began to smolder, then burst into flame. Korra was delighted, her face lit up and she jumped for joy, only then realizing her mistake.

The melting rock collapsed to the ground and the grass burst into flame beneath it. Korra's expression changed instantly from joy to regret, and she desperately tried to stamp out the flame with her boot, succeeding only in burning her foot. She hissed quietly and slipped backwards, falling to the ground. By the time she sat up, the fire had spread to a radius of several feet. Korra gasped and searched for water around, but there were no rivers, no streams, not even a puddle. An angry growl escaped her throat, and she decided she would have to resort to desperate measures. Korra removed all the moisture from the grasses and plants around her and conglomerated it into one ball. Satisfied with its size, Korra dropped it on the small fire to extinguish the flame. Thankfully, the fire did subside, but the rock still glowed softly. This time, Korra covered it with the surrounding ash and the molten rock hardened, still radiating its heat.

Embarrassed, Korra began walking back to the campsite. Unfortunately, her foot was well crisped and she walked with a noticeable limp. She made it back to the campsite in a few short minutes. Ghazan noticed her gait, but only raised his eyebrows, allowing her to return to her tent. Korra yanked off the burnt boot, she would have to patch the sole soon with new leather, but first she removed a waterskin from her knapsack and bent the water out, covering her foot with it completely. She began the healing process. She had never had much patience for healing, unfortunately, and it took her a long time before the pain even began to subside.

The next day, Korra and Ghazan moved on travelling. Zaheer had sent word to them to meet at the city of Gaoling to restock equipment and prepare for the next phase of Korra's teachings. Their travel was fairly uneventful. Korra and Ghazan still trained regularly, but not for as long a time and with twice the intensity. The long marches in between exhausted Korra, and Ghazan wouldn't ease off. He was a difficult, impatient teacher, but Korra learned more and more each day.

Within three days, Korra and Ghazan neared Gaoling, but Ghazan stopped the trek and dropped his equipment. Before Korra noticed, Ghazan swept the ground from under her feet and Korra fell to the ground.

"You must always be ready! Anyone might fight you, you are the Avatar!" Before Korra could get up, Ghazan lobbed two gargantuan boulders at her, but Korra managed to dodge each and bring herself to her feet. She did not falter, instead sent a train of rock at Ghazan, which he dodged easily. She then kicked up a cloud of dust and disguised herself within it, and sent plenty of small rocks flying in Ghazan's general location.

"Not a bad ruse, Korra, but predictable nonetheless." Ghazan stomped his right foot on the ground and Korra flew out of the dust cloud head over heels.

"You may be able to disguise yourself from a firebender or a waterbender, but not an earthbender."

Korra landed on her back and hesitated for a moment to catch her breath. Ghazan meanwhile sunk into the ground, nowhere to be seen. Korra noticed his disappearance, then kneeled on the ground and put her palm on the dirt. A moment passed, then Korra's eyes widened and she somersaulted forward. Ghazan erupted from the ground in a storm of rock and dust, right where Korra had knelt. He laughed a disconcerting laugh, like what he had done was absolutely hilarious, but Korra exploited his distraction. She kicked up the earth from beneath Ghazan's feet. His laughing stopped and he realized he was spinning out of control in the air. Korra grinned slightly then flung a rock at him. Ghazan managed to turn it away, but he came crashing to the ground and Korra detained him with a rock prison. Ghazan, encapsulated in Earth, laughed again.

"Good job, Korra." He said, laughter sometimes bursting through his speech. "I'm impressed. Obviously I could get myself out of this little trap but I'll let you have this fight. After all, this is the first one you've won."

Korra released Ghazan, and the earthbender stumbled, then righted himself.

"I am proud of you. I'll admit, I didn't expect you would beat me for a long time still. That was a good fight, now we'd best continue our journey."

Korra and Ghazan recollected their things and set back on the trail. It was a long walk to Gaoling.

Chapter Two: Fire

Goaling was an old city, but it was not large. Throughout its long history, it retained its beauty and its tradition, and the people that lived there were happy. Rich and poor both held no major qualms for each other, and all was peaceful. It was a perfect place to enter quietly. Zaheer, P'li, Ming-Hua, and Fan-Lei had arrived two days earlier than Korra and Ghazan. When they arrived, the rest of the group was impatient.

"Where have you two been? We arrived two days ago!" Ming-Hua demanded. Ghazan was taken slightly aback, but he responded quickly.

"You know it's a long way from the Quarry to Gaoling, you went the way yourself. I had to continue teaching Korra earthbending."

Zaheer, facing a wall in the back of their hotel room, was the next to speak.

"And how well has our young Avatar picked up earthbending? I hear that Avatar's are quick learners."

Ghazan smiled slightly, "Korra has picked up earthbending better than I expected, though to be fair I did not expect much in the first place. She bested me in a fight last week using only her earthbending. Her growth has been phenomenal."

Zaheer turned around and looked at Korra. His eyes sent many messages. Kindness. Depth. Concern. Expectance. His stare was intimidating.

"Impressive," Zaheer responded. "It's a good thing her skills have developed this far, as it is now time for her to learn firebending. This one will surely take longer, as it is the opposite of Korra's natural element. Fortunately for her, fire suits her personality surprisingly well. Maybe she'll pick up on it well."

Korra smiled, finally hearing that she would be permitted to move on to firebending. She attempted to thank Zaheer, but P'li wouldn't let her put a word in.

"If you thought Ghazan was a difficult teacher, your expectations are soft."

Three days passed for the sextet to revive themselves from travel. They stocked up on equipment fellow Red Lotuses supplied them, and on the third day they set out.

"We are going to the edges of the Si Wong Desert," Zaheer began. "Not only is this a strong place to firebend, but you will lose some of your reliance on water."

The temperature increased steadily throughout the journey. Korra felt like she would melt into the ground, and by the time they reached the desert itself, she was absolutely exhausted. Unfortunately for Korra, the closer they got to the desert, the more alive P'li seemed to feel.

P'li had not joked about Ghazan's teaching being soft. Though Ghazan had nearly ground Korra into a pulp, P'li took seemingly every opportunity to roast Korra, to bring her attention to Korra's weaknesses, to push Korra farther than she thought she could go. Korra trained with P'li for an entire week to make a single flame. Zaheer had been right about how difficult firebending would be for Korra. Once Korra managed to produce that single flame, P'li pushed even harder.

"If you can make a flame, why can't you make two?" She would ask.

"If you can make two flames, why can't you throw them at me?" She would prod.

"If you can attack, why can't you win?" She taunted.

Korra made every effort she could, but never could she satisfy her teacher. She couldn't even meet her own expectations.

Three weeks passed in the desert before the group needed to leave to collect more supplies. They decided they would travel to the Misty Palms Oasis for more food and water. It was during this time that Korra began to grow closer to Fan-Lei. The other members of their group were much older than Korra, but Fan-Lei was only sixteen, three years older than Korra.

Fan-Lei was an odd individual. Instead of any practical gear or armor, he wore only a black robe, embroidered in green fabric. He did not wear shoes or anything else, except for a bag when necessary. He was also a firebender, though his skills weren't fantastic so he carried a bostaff to compensate. Korra saw him spar with Zaheer on multiple occasions, and Fan-Lei's skills were incredible. While Zaheer was also a skilled user of the weapon, he seemed awkward with it in comparison to Fan-Lei, who moved it so quickly and gracefully it became a blur around his body. It was all Zaheer could do to block the teenager's blows, and Fan-Lei bested Zaheer with it frequently. His skill considered, Fan-Lei had shown himself to be a bit of a show-off. During his practice, if someone came nearby, he would give them a show by firebending through the staff, creating beautiful fountains and arcs that were mesmerizing and dangerous.

Korra attempted talking to Fan-Lei throughout their journey, although she found that when he was not fighting or practicing, he was sullen and withdrawn. Korra often felt alienated around him, and after some time she stopped trying to make conversation with him. It wasn't until she woke up in the middle of the night and saw him sitting on a sand dune, not asleep and by himself, that she talked to him again.

"Fan-Lei, are you okay?" She whispered, sneaking up the sand dune to ask him.

"Yea, I guess. I've just been thinking about my past. I don't want to tell you, it's unimportant." The boy was gazing at the stars, he had long black hair that silhouetted him against the starlight. In the day he was a shadow, and at night he was a shade.

"Unimportant, hah. It must be at least a little important, if it keeps you up this late. The moon must've gone down hours ago."

"Only two hours." Fan-Lei responded. Korra frowned and tried sitting down next to him, but the boy got up and left without a word. Korra buried her face in her knees and stifled a yell. Was it important to care? Was it the Avatar's duty to help people, or to help the world? Eventually, Korra returned to where she had been sleeping before and slipped off easily.

Two days came and went before they reached the Misty Palms Oasis. Korra's journey had been full of glares towards Fan-Lei and getting her work handed to her by P'li. The small town began to appear in the horizon, and Korra was excited about warm food, cold water, and a real bed. She could forget about bending and other people and her life and just be serene.

Eventually the six travellers reached the town, although it became clear their voyage was not over just yet. No one was about in the town, except for three sand flyers and a whole tribe of sandbenders, running from home to home, business to business, and taking whatever they wanted. Korra and the others all looked at Zaheer, who frowned and nodded. They would have to take the sandbenders down. Korra's excitement got the best of her, and she plunged into the village, starting to try and take down the sandbenders with her firebending. P'li sent three explosions to each of the sand flyers, and all three contraptions burst into flame. Ghazan tried sandbending, although embarrassingly for him, he was not particularly skilled at it. Fan-Lei also hopped into battle, a whir with his staff, spewing fire and knocking several of his opponents to the sand. Zaheer followed suit, minus one bostaff. He was not much for weaponry. The sandbenders tried to resist, although in comparison, they looked like splashing children in a pool of water. Suddenly, an idea raced through Korra's head. _If they are splashing water in this pool, it's time for someone to splash back._ Korra knelt down and grabbed a handful of sand. _What does it feel like? It feels like water._ Suddenly, Korra flew into the air several feet, supported by a vortex of sand. The sandbenders stopped for a brief moment in astonishment, but Korra did not. She whipped several of them away with long strands of sand and buried many others in the dunes. More and more sand rained down upon the sandbenders, who had not the skill or will to resist. They fled the fight, doomed to a dry fate.

Korra set herself down on the ground gently, and unburied several homes and shops that had been nearly covered in sand. Several townsmen emerged from the homes and swarmed Korra. Several of them expressed their gratitude, then left to retrieve the things the sandbenders had nearly stolen. Some of them stayed with Korra and asked her questions.

"Who are you?" One of them asked. "Are you the Avatar?" Another. "How could we repay you?" They offered.

Korra smiled a kind smile. "Yes, I am Avatar Korra. It would be excellent if my friends and I could stay overnight, and leave with full stock tomorrow."

"Yes, yes! That is such a manageable repayment, come with me and I will show you to our inn! You are welcome here, Avatar Korra." The townspeople escorted Korra and the group to the inn.

Zaheer travelled in the back of the procession, his mouth twisted into an ugly grimace. He would have to speak to Korra about her name and title.

The Misty Palms Oasis inn was quite comfortable, and each member of the group was given their own room along with food for the night. Korra slipped off to sleep easily, and she woke in the morning and left the room as she had found it. She went looking for the rest of the group, Ghazan and Ming-Hua were in their rooms, as well as P'li, but Fan-Lei and Zaheer had disappeared. Korra eventually found Fan-Lei, who was standing atop one of the mud buildings, practicing his bostaff and firebending.

"Have you seen Zaheer?" Korra shouted up to him. Fan-Lei stopped and peered down at the Avatar.

"Yea, he went off about half an hour ago with some person. They appeared to be in an important conversation. They went that way." Fan-Lei gestured down the street behind Korra, and she turned and ran down it.

Zaheer showed through none of the windows, so Korra entered several businesses that had just opened their doors. No Zaheer in any of the restaurants, any of the bars, any of the stores, even. Korra decided to give up her search, she had no real need to speak to him anyway, just a curiosity of where he was.

Her curiosity was soon answered, when Zaheer appeared in step next to her.

"I've been waiting for you to pass. I assumed you would look for me." Zaheer began, but didn't continue.

"Well then, why have you been waiting for me?" Korra looked at the stocky man in confusion.

"You must conceal your identity. The people of this village know you are here now and there is nothing we can do about that. The news will spread though, and soon people from well around this desert will have heard of your presence. We can't allow that."

Korra looked at Zaheer with disbelief. "But why can't people know I'm the Avatar? Isn't it my duty to serve people like these? They deserve to know who I am."

"This is a dangerous time for you. You are not a fully realized Avatar, you are a young girl, a powerful waterbender and a capable earthbender, but there are those that do not eagerly await the Avatar's return. You remember why we left the Northern Water Tribe, correct?"

"Yes, the Southern Water Tribe was sending force to us. Does that have something to do with it?" 

"Indeed. The Southern Water Tribe looks to take you for themselves, to use your power and make you theirs. You are not yet powerful enough to resist them, which is why my friends and I protect you. It is why we are on the run, but other world leaders do not look to wrong the Southern Water Tribe and will help point them to where you may be. You can not tell people who you are, and in combat, unless we are alone with our opponents, you can not bend more than one element at once."

Korra was taken aback, she had never realized that as the Avatar she would be in more danger than others of her age. "Okay, okay. We're not safe here - I'm not safe anywhere. What's the plan from here?

"We leave again into the desert today. You will finish these first stages of firebending training. Then, we will leave this desert and you shall gain some true experience, you will learn more about the Red Lotus, and soon, you will become a fully indoctrinated member."

Zaheer and Korra arrived at the Misty Palms Oasis inn, and they called each of the members into the courtyard.

"We're leaving." Zaheer said. "Into the desert, let's get supplies from the villagers and be on our way."

The townsfolk were happy to supply the Avatar and company with food and water, as well as some other items like tents and sleeping rolls, for their travel. In the desert, Korra returned to a daily grind with P'li, learning firebending. She had finally reached a point where Fan-Lei decided to join them, and Korra proved to be a much faster learner than him. Firebending seemed to come naturally to Korra, almost more so than water. P'li made Fan-Lei and Korra spar frequently. P'li's form of firebending was very combat oriented, and brutal. Korra excelled at it, while Fan-Lei's only victories came when he was allowed the use of his staff. Finally, P'li had Korra face her in combat.

P'li's pure height was intimidating, but she continued to coach Korra even as she fought her.

"Do not fear my height, this is firebending, not fistfighting! Use your own strength against me and you shall not easily fall."

P'li showed the courtesy of not combustion-bending during their fight, but she did use every other advantage she had. She created tunnels, pillars, spouts of flame that Korra had trouble dodging. Each strike P'li dished, Korra was forced to disperse, preventing her from striking back at all. Korra would need a different approach. She slowly trudged towards her opponent, dispersing blasts of flame with much difficulty. Eventually, she was four feet away and she jumped into the air. She managed to throw a blast of flame with enough power and control to throw her over P'li's head, and she landed behind the tall woman. Korra produced a swath of fire in front of her and launched it at P'li, who jumped over the wave and brought a whip of flame down at Korra. Korra rolled to the side and threw a ball of fire at P'li's head. P'li caught the flame and hurled it back at Korra, who barely stepped behind it, then fell when the ball burst, the shockwave catching her off balance. P'li raised a dagger of fire and stood over Korra.

"This would be your death, if you fought against a real opponent." P'li offered her hand to Korra and helped her off the ground.

"Fortunately for you, I am not your opponent, merely your teacher."

**to be continued in chapter three, the Earth Kingdom**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Zaofu

Korra sat across from Zaheer, trying to meditate. To their side opened the vast expanse of the South Sea. The members of the Red Lotus were halfway between Gaoling and Chin City. It had been four weeks since their battle in the Misty Palms Oasis, and it had been a quiet time of travel. P'li continued teaching Korra firebending, and Korra even managed to best the master in a few spars, though P'li still won more often than not. Once they had reached solid ground again, instead of the desert sands, Ghazan resumed earthbending practice with Korra. When the group came across a body of water, they would often stop for some time, so that Ming-Hau and Korra might refresh their waterbending abilities. Zaheer decided some new skills would need to be introduced into Korra's training. First, he had her practice fighting opponents with multiple bending styles at once. At first it proved difficult, switching from each technique so swiftly, and eventually incorporating multiple simultaneously, but like everything else, it ended up coming naturally to the Avatar. She could now easily defeat any one member of the Red Lotus, and against two she often won. Against all three masters, she was still not quite able to defeat them, but they were some of the most powerful warriors in the world, so she could not worry too much about it.

Korra's arms slipped and she opened her eyes, letting her shoulders slump in frustration.

"I can't find peace today. I'm not meditating anymore." The young Avatar got up and left, but Zaheer did not even flinch. He was entranced in meditation, he seemed to be able to maintain the most peaceful mind in all scenarios. Korra could not fathom how any person could be so serene, yet so deadly.

Korra walked back into the camp, where Ghazan sat draped over some bags and Ming-Hua knelt beside him. They were talking quietly, even Korra could not hear. Fan-Lei stood off in the distance, spinning his bostaff. It was entertaining to watch, the dexterity of which he manipulated the piece.

Korra walked up behind him, some feet away so he might continue practicing. Fan-Lei turned in one of his forms and noticed her. He made no immediate recognition, but the intensity of his techniques increased drastically until he was practically flying through the air.

"You don't need to show off." Korra said. Fan-Lei stopped and the staff fell to his side.

"I'm sorry. I figured I might as well." His hand reached up and grabbed his hair, pulling it over his forehead."

"Where did you learn to use that anyway?" Korra asked.

"Uh, this? Well I've kind of always been practicing it." The boy was impenetrable as usual.

"No, I mean where did you learn it? How?"

"Oh, I used to live in a monastery. There are firebending monks, although they aren't very peaceful. They insisted I learn to use a sword, but I wanted to fight with a staff instead, so they taught me." Another vague answer. Korra smiled at him and walked back to the camp. She decided to sit with Ghazan and Ming-Hua.

"Aren't you supposed to be working? Meditating with Zaheer, perhaps?" Ming-Hua accused. Before Korra could reply Ghazan spoke.

"Don't worry about it Ming-Hua, she works every day all day. I'd bet she could use some rest." Ghazan turned to face Korra. "How are you?"

"I'm fine I suppose. Ming-Hua's right, I should be meditating with Zaheer. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find peace of mind today. I left, but Zaheer was in a trance. He did not stop me."

"He gets like that," responded Ghazan, "He is powerful in spirit, more so than any of us. I think sometimes to have a peaceful mind we need to give ourselves occasional breaks from practice. When I was learning to be an earthbender, I practiced relentlessly, and my master forced more and more from me until I had nothing left to give. One day, I stopped making progress, so I ran away from him. For two weeks I lived in the woods outside my hometown. No one made any effort to find me, and eventually I returned to continue my training. I became unstoppable, perhaps a break was all I needed, in order to become great. You're the Avatar, I have no doubt you will be great, but perhaps we need to do something aside from your training. I know I could use some entertainment for once."

Zaheer walked back into the camp just then, and he looked at Korra, then Ghazan and Ming-Hua.

"I think you are right, Ghazan. Do you like art, Korra? Nearby is the home of the Metal Clan, Zaofu, where some of the best artists in the Earth Kingdom live. I think that in order for you to love the people of this world enough to be their Avatar, you must see the beauty they can create. Let's go."

Zaheer walked over to his tent and disassembled it, and Ghazan and Ming-Hua did the same. Korra walked over to her tent and pulled it flat, then called for Fan-Lei.

"Fan-Lei! Come take down your tent!" Quickly enough, the teenager entered the camp and set to work. P'li must've heard, because she came in as well, although Korra had no idea of where she had been.

It took an hour to pack up camp, and as soon as they had their equipment on their backs, Zaheer pointed them towards Zaofu and they set off.

The journey was surprisingly quick, it took only two days to reach the city, but it was night when they did and the metal petals of the flower city were being raised.

"I suppose it'll be another day before we set foot in there." Zaheer said. The group made camp for the night, and slept well. Morning dawned, and when Korra woke she looked over the horizon at the city that gleamed in the sunlight. Beyond its limits lay the Foggy Swamp, and the Banyan tree was vaguely visible, almost wholly concealed by fog and clouds.

When the group woke they packed their things and set out towards Zaofu, which welcomed them as visitors. One guard, named Kuvira, escorted them to where they could stay.

"This city encourages everyone to meet their full potential, even its visitors. We are glad to welcome you to the Metal Clan, and we hope you take as much knowledge and fulfillment as possible with you when you leave." Kuvira bowed and left them to their own devices, three large hotel rooms with beautiful facilities and comfortable accommodations. The Members of the Red Lotus and Korra met in the main dining hall.

"Tomorrow, we'll visit the great galleries of Zaofu, where precious art is stored and admired," Zaheer said. They dispersed for the rest of the afternoon, free to wander where they may, and they met back at the dining hall for dinner.

"It's a beautiful city," Korra said. "I watched a dance troupe perform, it was stunning, they way they can manipulate metal with such grace."

"I headed to the fighting rings. I must say, there are some talented warriors in this city. Unfortunately for them, I defeated every one that I fought." Ghazan smiled and cracked his knuckles.

"I was surprised to meet other bostaff warriors. I did not think nonbending martial arts would be hugely popular here, but there is a capable master living in one of the nicer homes. I took a lesson from him, he was very wise and very swift." Fan-Lei had bruises down his arms and a few red splotches on his neck where he had been stricken with a staff.

"I went to the fountains to waterbend. It was beautiful, but no other waterbenders were there. I guess there is not much for them here though, so not a surprise." Ming-Hua looked somewhat disappointed.

"I travelled to the forges. What powerful furnaces, and strong men. The metal here is pristine and I'd bet it's owed to them." P'li's face was smudged with soot, she had, in fact, been to the forges.

Zaheer quietly listened to the rest of them tell of their day. When all had finished, he spoke. "I realized something today. None of you have had anything bad to say about this city, which was impressive, especially considering some of your rather pessimistic natures. I realized how close this city is to truly being perfect. It is full of powerful warriors, excellent craftsmen, inspiring artists, practical artisans. One thing it wasn't so full of, was guards. No doubt they have their presence, but it was not in the streets of this city. Imagine that they didn't exist, at all. Imagine if this city lacked a government. I think it would sustain itself perfectly. Imagine if this city had no guards, no leaders. I think nothing would change. Much of the world fears change, they fear for their safety without guards or police, they fear for their homes and families if they do not have leaders or rulers. I think this city is different. I think these people are open enough, ready enough, to leave behind the old world of law and order. I think these people will find balance in chaos, in fact, I think they already have. It's time for them to enter a new age."

Zaheer stood up and pushed his plate away. "Tomorrow, you all go the art galleries and learn about this world, see it for its beauty. I will not be with you." He walked away, back to his room.

"I guess this won't be quite the vacation we thought it would be," said Ghazan.

Korra and the rest of the Red Lotus retired for the night.

The next morning, Korra and the Red Lotus met for breakfast in the dining hall. Zaheer was not with them, and he was not in his room.

"I wonder where he could be," Fan-Lei said.

"I wonder more what he's planning. It's usually something interesting, if he neglected to fill us in," Ghazan replied.

"I don't know," said Korra. "We might as well try to enjoy our time in the art gallery. I came here for a break, if he doesn't want one, then that's his choice."

Ghazan, Ming-Hua, and Fan-Lei all nodded in return. After they finished their breakfast, they set out for the first art gallery.

Zaheer saw them walking through the city streets from atop a building, but he did not go down to them or even indicate his presence. He turned back to what he was doing before, watching the city guards. They didn't do much. Zaheer had been waiting and watching them for two hours, and only once did one of them do something that looked like actual work. Instead, they mostly leaned against walls and talked, or they read books. One of them even took a nap, but he was reprimanded for that by who Zaheer presumed was in charge at the guards' post.

Zaheer walked away from his roost and leaped across the gaps between the roofs of buildings. He made his way to one of the tram stations across the city, and when one stopped to load passengers, Zaheer climbed atop it and laid down. The tram soon sped away, Zaheer atop it. It was going to the home of the city's government, and the 'palace' of its matriarch, Suyin Beifong. Zaheer's business was not with her directly, and he hopped off at the city hall. Two guards stood outside the building and stopped him.

"What business do you have at city hall, sir?" One asked. He was tall and had ratty black hair that fell past his shoulders. The other was short and stout and merely looked on with beady eyes.

"I'm here to send a message. May I enter?" Zaheer looked both of them sternly in the eye.

"Uh, I suppose. Don't bother anyone you don't need to." The guards stepped aside and Zaheer opened the hall door. Inside it was a small front room with a secretary and two bored looking men sitting in chairs to his left. Zaheer walked up to the secretary.

"Do you have an appointment with any of the officials?" She asked. She was a plump woman likely in her thirties. No guards could be seen anywhere in the room behind her.

"No, but I am here on important business. I have a message for the entire city to hear, is there a way I could access the public address system?"

"That's above my authority to grant. You can enter the door to my right, look for the office of Mr. Shinso Dao, he would be the one with the power to get you what you want."

"Thank you, ma'am." Zaheer bowed and walked through the door. He would not be seeing Mr. Dao today, and he walked around the building looking for any rooms equipped for broadcast. The building was a lot more expansive than Zaheer had originally thought, he spent fifteen minutes walking through the corridors until he found a room that looked like a radio room. He walked in, and found it unmanned, so he closed the door and barred it with the two chairs in front of the console. He spent a few minutes looking over the controls, a variety of knobs, buttons, and levers. Eventually, he found a working manual and deduced that it was in fact capable of broadcasting PA. He set to work, flipping two levers and pressing some buttons. The radio was on, and at the push of a button it would be broadcasting. Zaheer grabbed the microphone and mentally rehearsed what he would say, then, he pressed the button and his voice filled the room.

"People of Zaofu, I have a message for you. My name is not important, but what I am about to say is. I am a visitor to this city, and I have seen how very close you have come to perfection. The goal of this city, is for its residents to reach their full potential, but the only way that you can do that is by having the city itself reach full potential. Your government is holding you back. I urge you to put this city in your own hands, with no laws and no police, no guards. I urge the matriarch of the Metal Clan, Suyin Beifong, to relinquish her position and allow this city to become wholly free. Thank you, and please consider this your emancipation."

Zaheer heard footsteps coming down the hall, quickly and loudly. It could only be guards. Zaheer turned off the radio as a hand tried the doorknob. When they found it locked they tried kicking it several times, until finally the chairs gave way and the door flew open. Three metalbenders stood outside and threw whips of metal at Zaheer. The nonbender dodged all three, moving more swiftly than the metalbenders could've anticipated. He rolled up to one of the guards and grabbed his neck, throwing him into the other metalbender standing next to him, knocking them both out. The third metalbender retracted his whip and threw it at Zaheer again, catching him on the leg. Zaheer managed to redirect the energy into a kick, which dragged the metalbender right into Zaheer, where he put him into headlock and threw the guard's head into the wall. The metalbender fell to the floor, unconscious and Zaheer fled the radio room.

Korra and the rest of the Red Lotus heard Zaheer's message as they stood in a sculpture garden of one of the art galleries. They looked at each other, and when Zaheer's voice stopped, the yard was deathly silent. In unison, the group ran out of the sculpture garden through the art gallery and into the street, where Metal Clansmen and women looked at each other in confusion. Ghazan stood tall and began to yell down the street.

"Yes! This is the freedom you all have desired all of your lives! If you accept it wholly, not much will change for you, except that no longer will you answer to any guards or politicians, you are free to do as you please, to sculpt your own living and freedom."

Ghazan motioned to the rest of the members to follow. They assumed Zaheer would be at the City Hall or palace, so they ran to the nearest tram station and hopped aboard the tram heading next to the city hall.

In five minutes the tram was there, and they hopped off and ran towards City Hall. Zaheer dropped out of a window on the second level and landed in a forward roll.

"The guards will be after me, of course. Unfortunately for them, they don't carry the power they once did." Zaheer said. He started off walking towards the palace.

"I must talk to Suyin Beifong, or fight her. Whichever she prefers. Feel free to come along."

The rest of the group followed in Zaheer's footsteps. Two more guards ran towards them, but they did not attack. They had no way of recognizing Zaheer aside from his voice.

"Where are you going? If you're heading to the palace, don't, because what this speaker said, it's not true!" The first guard began, but the second one stopped him, looking at Zaheer with beady eyes.

"I think this is our speaker. Remember when he said he had to send a message, and we let him into City Hall? Oh man, Po, we're in trouble now!"

The first guard stopped, he was tall, with ratty black hair that fell past his shoulders. His eyes widened and his face twisted into one of horror.

"Oh man, let's go Ghun!" The two guards ran off without even throwing a punch.

Zaheer let out a snort and kept walking towards the palace.

The group could hear shouting coming from the city below. There seemed to be no fighting, but at least some of the clansmen had taken Zaheer's message seriously. Looking on from the front of the palace balcony stood Suyin Beifong, an aging yet beautiful lady, with her family behind her. Zaheer walked up near the front door of the palace, and looked up at the Beifongs.

"Matriarch of the Metal Clan! I am Zaheer, and I have freed this city, I urge you to heed my message and step down, dismantle this government! Surely, as the creator of this city, you can realize that there is no longer any need for it, your city has simply grown too great to be bogged down with the trifles of bureaucracy!"

Suyin looked down at Zaheer, her mouth gaping in surprise. Slowly, her eyes narrowed and she nodded.

"I think I agree with you, Zaheer. Unfortunately, I don't quite believe that we are ready for this, and I never thought this was a possibility! I never had this in my mind as a goal, but I think maybe we can accomplish it. Please, enter, I'll need to speak with you."

Suyin disappeared from the balcony and Zaheer walked forward, opening the doors to the main hall, the rest of the group assembled behind him. The matriarch of the Metal Clan descended the steps, her green robes flowing behind her, as the rest of her family stood on the landing above.

"I'm going to send another message to the city, and I'm going to tell them that all you've said is true and that I will step down from this position. I will tell the people that this city is now without government, and life shall continue as before. My government was already so hands off, their lives should not be dramatically affected. I need you and your entourage to find my captain of the guard, as well as her close officials and detain them. They will not be imprisoned, but I fear that they will not agree with me, agree with you, in this."

Suyin walked off down a hallway and Zaheer turned to face his group. He nodded and they left for the guardhouse, just down the pathway from the palace. It was small building, and the door was easily blown off its hinges by a blast from P'li's forehead. The men and women inside stopped what they were doing and threw metal whips at their opponents. Zaheer dodged them, as he was in the front, and Korra jumped inside the building, throwing balls of fire at several of the guards, then when they were in a cluster, forming a rock prison around their bodies. Unable to fight, Zaheer addressed them.

"I know you believe in what you are doing, but the truth is that this city does not need your kind anymore. Suyin Beifong herself has declared the government unnecessary, and as we speak, she is preparing to address the city, to resign herself as the matriarch of the Metal Clan and disband the matriarchy. She has asked that I detain you so that she may speak to you before you are released. Is the captain of the guard here?"

"Yes," a woman responded from the center of the cluster. It was Kuvira, the guard who had escorted the group into the city. "I am here."

"Good," Zaheer responded. "You will wait here for Suyin, while P'li and Ghazan watch over you."

Zaheer departed the room, as Korra, Fan-Lei, and Ming-Hua followed. Suddenly, the voice of Suyin Beifong rang out across the city.

"Members of the Metal Clan, residents of Zaofu, what you have heard is true. I resign, as matriarch of Zaofu. I dissolve the matriarchy of Zaofu, and there will be no charter, no constitution to replace it. As of today, the government of Zaofu is no more. No longer do the guards of this city have any authority, or the politicians. We have advanced greatly, since I founded this city so many years ago. I have come to realize today, that we have surpassed any expectations I had those years ago. I wanted a city where everyone could be free to reach their full potential, where everyone could be free to live their live as they want to. In that, we have come together more than any other city I have visited. We are capable of sustaining ourselves, and so our contact with the outside world is minimal. We have never needed to trade with others, to find support for our population in other places. We have always been capable to doing the work necessary to bring ourselves into the best position, with everything we could ever need. Those things shall continue, because we have found that those are our goals, to be wholly self-sufficient and free. This government's role in your lives has steadily decreased, and today, it is no more. Your lives shall not change drastically, as we have no need to change them. I bid you a pleasant farewell as matriarch of this clan, and bid you hello as a denizen of this beautiful city. Good night, ladies and gentlemen of Zaofu."

Zaheer's face melted into a smile. Zaofu would serve as the first example to the rest of the world of the triviality of government, the fact that a perfect life could be created without one, and order could be made of chaos.

"You did it Zaheer. This is the dawn of a new age," said P'li.

"Yes, although it will not come without its difficulties. We must speak to Suyin again, this won't be an easy transition for her, or for her city, despite what I have tried to make it seem."

Zaheer walked back to the palace, and was nearly to the door when Suyin walked out.

"Thank you Suyin. I am impressed, with the eloquence and message of your speech. It is not an easy thing, to dissolve a government. Trust me on that. Now, there are a lot of things that remain to be done. I will be leaving soon, but I need to know whether or not you think you will be capable of this. Even though you may no longer be the matriarch, even though there is no more government, some people will still look to you as a leader."

Suyin nodded, accepting his thanks and she replied. "I know that there is still a lot of work to do, the guards will be unhappy and the people will likely be terrified, but I will need to remind them of the safety of Zaofu, and work must be created for those displaced in the government. Wealth will still flow freely, I can't keep my people from that, but there is no longer any regulation. Their market is truly free."

"How will you keep the people from turning against this goal? In my experience it has been difficult to control a newly freed populace."

"Though the government of Zaofu no longer exists, these people are all still members of the Metal Clan. They have worked hard to be indoctrinated and I will remind them that government made little difference to their lives, instead their contribution and devotion to the clan was what made the most importance, and that has always been the foremost goal. They will see soon enough that this is the creation of a perfect society. Thank you, for helping me realize this Zaheer."

Zaheer nodded, then pressed his palms together in front of his chest and bowed, Suyin returning the gesture. He removed a card from his pocket, emblazoned with the sigil of the Red Lotus and on the back a poem written by Xai Bau.

"The Red Lotus thanks you, and you are invited to Xai Bau's Grove. The poem will show the way." He handed Suyin the card and turned to leave. The rest of the group all bowed to Suyin and the Beifong family, then left with Zaheer.

As the group walked through the city, the streets were surprisingly calm. Several guards sat on curbs with their helmets off, staring at the ground. Regular citizens continued on their daily business, smiling at each other and exchanging kindness freely.

"I think we have finally showed them the light," began Zaheer. "They did not smile so freely when last we walked these streets. I sense that Zaofu has a bright future, and soon, the rest of the world may come to see that."

**To be continued in chapter four, air**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Air

In a dank cave, Korra sat across from Zaheer, his eyes closed and her ears open and ready to listen to what he might have to say. The Avatar sat cross-legged on a precipice, underneath which was an underground lake. Across the lake was a nearly flat stone wall with the sigil of the Red Lotus emblazoned upon it. Cold, reflecting crystals jutted out from the walls and ceiling, taking the torchlight from the entrance and morphing it into a cool blue ambience.

"I have trained for years and years to be even somewhat close to the power an airbender holds. When I joined the Red Lotus, it was only because I demonstrated such a knowledge of the fighting style that they decided I would be a capable member. Through my whole life I have studied the Air Nomad culture and its history. I have been intrigued and captivated by it, and now it is my duty to share this knowledge with you. When we took you in to train you, it was decided that I was the only one that could even loosely teach you airbending." Zaheer spoke with his eyes still closed, his face pointed at the ground.

Korra raised her eyebrows in question, and opened her own tangent. "You are the only one that can teach me airbending? But isn't there an actual airbending master in Republic City, Aang's son? He could teach me airbending."

Zaheer raised his head and opened his eyes, they were narrow and piercing.

"It is believed that this airbending master is closely tied with those that are trying to take control of you. The Southern Water Tribe, they practically have him tied around their finger."

Korra's frustration showed. "What? But you've said that about so many others! In the Misty Palms Oasis, at the Northern Water Tribe, so many people that are trying to take me! Zaheer, it makes me question, are we really on the right side?"

Zaheer inhaled and exhaled deeply, taking a full minute before he responded. "I see your faith in the Red Lotus is still not entirely secure. You must be mindful about what you say around the others, especially when we meet Xai Bau again. Our path is the rightful one."

Korra leaned back in a slump, frustrated, but her curiosity was satiated for the moment.

"That said, I believe that in order for you to best learn airbending, you should see someone do it. We will go to Republic City, we'll leave today." Zaheer rose and left the cave before Korra even stood up. Korra followed behind and left the cave.

The Avatar stepped into the sunlight, light gleaming off of minerals and rocks in the mountains around her. Off in the distance, the Northern Air Temple could be made out, but there were no airbenders there.

It had been two years since the liberation of Zaofu. Korra was 16 years old. Not much had happened since Zaofu's liberation. The group had split for a year, and Korra had returned to the Northern Water Tribe to live with Unalaq until their next adventure. She continued her practices in waterbending, earthbending, and firebending, as well as beginning to learn about the spirits from Unalaq. When a year passed Zaheer showed up at the palace, announcing a new journey for Korra. She would learn airbending.

First, Zaheer took her to Zaofu, to remind her of what they were striving for. The city had become a utopia. Zaheer was right about it being ready for the dissolution of the government, and the city had become a shining example for Zaheer's cause. Zaofu was a leader in innovation, art, literature, and science, but Zaheer and Korra were not there to stay. They left soon after their arrival in the city and joined with Ghazan, P'li, and Ming-Hua. They headed straight to the Northern Air Temple, or rather, a system of caves situated nearby. There Korra resumed working on her bending styles with the Red Lotus masters. Finally, Korra got the news she wanted, she would be learning airbending.

Korra had her things in a backpack, and the other members of the Red Lotus were waiting outside for her.

"Let's go." Zaheer began walking down the path.

Republic City was very close to the Northern Air Temple, and their journey was short. In one short day, the horizon became filled with magnificent skyscrapers and the environment grew cluttered with the sounds of city life.

"I've always wanted to come to the city." Korra said. Her eyes were fixed on the metropolis, and Zaheer looked at her, then motioned for her to continue. There was no ceremony, not even any protocol. The group walked right onto the streets of the city and Zaheer produced a map.

"This will be very risky for us. The airbending master is one of the greatest threats to Korra's safety, but we need her to see him. Well, we need her to see him airbend. Air Temple Island is that way." Zaheer's hand pointed down one street and the group followed along with him. Korra walked up next to Zaheer, a question in her mind.

"This is kind of unrelated to what we've been doing, but, where's Fan-Lei? I figured, we travelled with him for as long as we did, he would be back with us again."

"He's in the city. I spoke to him not long ago, he's been here for a year and a half, ever since we all split ways. He said he would find us when we came here. I expect we'll be hearing from him soon."

Korra nodded and slipped back behind Zaheer in the group. They made for an unusual sight, a short man, freakishly tall woman, strong earthbender, armless waterbender, and a young woman travelling all together through the city streets. Onlookers absent-mindedly noticed them, but no made no commentary, verbal or nonverbal, of their presence.

Soon enough, the group reached Uwe Bay, Air Temple Island in the distance, dwarfed by the magnificent statue of Avatar Aang. Korra looked at the statue and felt a sense of pride, a familiar emotion to her, but also foreign, as if it was someone else's pride.

"It's amazing to see one of my past selves so highly honored. I've unfortunately never contacted my past lives, but one day maybe I will have the honor of speaking to Aang. To Roku, Kyoshi, Kuruk, Yangchen…" Korra trailed off, but snapped out of her trance when Zaheer walked over to a dock and paid a man standing guard over it.

"This is the ferry to Air Temple Island. Come on, it's a ten minute ride. We have to make our plan."

Zaheer walked down the dock and up the gangway onto a small flat boat. Korra and the others followed suit, nodding at the ferryman.

"This will be a little tricky, but it's important enough that I'm willing to take this risk. If this airbending master, Tenzin, finds out our identities, we will be in grave danger. We must not travel together on the island, and Korra must be kept out of sight, except she also needs to be able to see this airbending master." Zaheer began.

"So, what you're saying is that I need to see this, Tenzin, and I need to watch him airbend, yet I can't talk to him, go near him, not even let him see me?" Korra responded.

"Exactly right. He will be hostile to you. You'll have to watch him airbend from afar, if we're lucky, we'll catch him in the middle of one of his practice sessions. If not, I'll have to instigate him."

Zaheer stopped talking and turned to the bow of the small boat, looking on Air Temple Island with anticipation. It took five minutes for the ferry to reach the dock on the small island. Fortunately, no air acolytes rushed to welcome them, and the group was free to disappear. They made their way into a small section of woods near the temple, and Zaheer began to look for the airbenders. The rest of the ensemble moved silently with Zaheer, and soon, he pressed a finger to his lips and invited them to look over the ledge in front of him. Several feet away, a tattooed man sat facing the sea in meditation. The leaves rustled unnaturally as they moved to get a look, but fortunately for them, meditation was not a state of alertness, and the airbending master did not notice.

As quickly as they had come, they retreated.

"We won't see him airbend now," said Korra. Zaheer looked back at the young Avatar with a condescending expression. He did not have to say anything, and Korra pursed her lips in embarrassment. Zaheer continued on, and soon they came upon a comfortable spot in the middle of the woods and they decided to wait. Ghazan decided to sleep, and he was rudely awakened by Zaheer when he decided it was time to move on.

"Let's go, we can't be too patient." he said.

They returned to where they had last seen master Tenzin, but he had since left. They patrolled the island in search for him, and eventually they found him in the temple courtyard, practicing.

"Yes, he is practicing. You need to watch him, Korra. See how he moves, like a leaf, like a circle." Zaheer was equally fascinated, seeing as he had immersed himself in air nomad culture for years. Korra and Zaheer both took in all of the master's grace, power and speed. He moved lightly and swiftly, but with his strikes and defenses he had more power than most earthbenders, more precision than most firebenders, and more fluidity than most waterbenders. They watched him for a half-an-hour, but Tenzin was not one to leave his environment noticed. Soon, he saw the two faces poking from the bushes.

"Who's there?" He demanded, and Zaheer withdrew. Korra stood and followed, but she was not so unnoticeable, and the airbender caught her face.

"Korra?! He yelled. He became sure of his recognition in a moment, and chased off after her.

"Korra, whoever you're with, you're not meant to be with them!" He knew that Korra would likely not understand what he was saying. She probably had forgotten most of her past, and Tenzin certainly did not have the pull to knock her away from them. He pursued forcefully instead, launching attacks at the group whenever he saw them in the woods, but they made their way steadily to the beach. When they did reach the beach, Korra raised a storm of sand and dust, as Ming-Hua formed a boat out of ice.

"Let's go, on the ice!" Ming-Hua yelled. Zaheer, Ghazan, Korra, and P'li all hopped on and Ming-Hua invited to Korra to help her push them away from the island. They were gone as soon as they were seen, and now they slowly drifted back to the shore of the mainland.

"How did that airbending master, Master Tenzin, know my name?" Korra demanded. "How did he make it seem like he knew me, even though I've never seen him before?"

Zaheer was silent for a moment, but he had his own response soon. "It's one of his treacheries. I did mention that he was in league with those who want to capture you while you are still young. One can not think that he would know your name purely out of good will for you. He wants to sway you, and I commend you for not being swayed."

Korra was still slightly confused, but she took the answer. It sounded plausible enough, and she curled her knees to her face until they reached the shore of Republic City.

The group disembarked from Ming-Hua's ice boat, which she promptly melted.

"We got we came for. Let's find Fan-Lei and leave this city before anyone comes looking for Korra," said Zaheer. The rest of the group nodded and followed Zaheer throughout the streets to find their elusive firebender.

Tenzin had never been so sure of anything before in his life. He was always a tentative, cautious soul who took responsibility and approached danger slowly, but he knew from the instant he saw her that Korra had been in the bushes watching him airbend.

The news of an Avatar sighting always spread throughout the world like wildfire, especially since she had been so elusive for the past several years. Each time, Tenzin took great interest in finding as much of information as he possibly could. He remembered back to when she was still a young girl and he travelled to the Southern Water Tribe to meet her. She was a fiery little girl and made sure to bend something at him whenever she got the chance. Not once did she airbend at him.

He liked Korra a lot, even if she was more unpredictable than he could handle, but he had always looked forward to teaching her to airbend. When she had disappeared from her room many years ago, Chief Tonraq was devastated. He had so much love for the little girl, and he demanded she be found. She never was, and in fact nobody had heard anything about her until a little waterbender girl had been thought to firebend at her friends in a school at the Northern Water Tribe. Naturally, Tonraq travelled with many of his men to the North, but his brother Unalaq denied the possibility of the Avatar being there and their searches in the city were fruitless.

The general populace of the world was expecting the next Avatar to arise soon, assuming little Korra had died in her disappearance. That was, until a report came from the Misty Palms Oasis near the Si Wong Desert that the Avatar, an adolescent water tribe girl, had saved their tribe from rogue sandbenders. Tenzin pressed hard for more details of the event, but he found little more information about where she may have gone or how she got there. Tonraq was relieved to learn his daughter still alive, but he was not satisfied, and pressed harder than Tenzin.

Fortunately, the next sighting of the Avatar came quickly, from Zaofu. From the reports Tenzin received, she was allegedly involved in a group of previously unheard of revolutionaries. The entire world had been rocked when they heard that Zaofu had successfully evolved into a form of anarchy, and terrified when they heard that the group did not intend to stop there.

A conference of global leaders was held at the Northern Air Temple to discuss how this would be dealt with. The Earth Queen was surprisingly calm, and decided she would allow Zaofu to continue in its new state provided it did not create trouble outside of its limits. It was actually a relief in the Earth Queen's eyes, as Zaofu had never been fully integrated in her kingdom and when it did have leadership, it was insufferable and worked tirelessly against the Earth Queen politically.

The rest of the leaders, on the other hand, were not so pleased. Fire Lord Izumi with her mentor and father Zuko had decided they would not allow for any such thing, and that their police and security forces would be stiffened in cities. They would require forums to be held in all of their cities to ensure the population understood anarchy was dangerous, and to instill in their minds that Zaofu would soon fall into lawless chaos. For the next two years, Zaofu remained lawless, but not chaotic, much to the chagrin of the other world leaders, and ideas of anarchy and liberty began to spread.

Throughout this time of global conferences and politics, Tenzin had the opportunity to spend a lot of time around Tonraq, who was torn. On one hand, he was excited to hear again about his daughter, but that was much outweighed be his anxiety of her situation. He was not happy to learn she was working with revolutionaries, and he was even more upset about the amount of stir their group had created.

All of the leaders, however, were frustrated when they could not find any trace of Korra and her revolutionaries. They searched all the likely places, fearing that they would strike again somewhere, but for two years they were utterly silent.

That was why Tenzin was so surprised to see Korra show up less than a hundred feet away from him.

There was no way she knew who he was anymore, and he had expected that, but still he was disappointed that she had not responded to him. When he had seen the man's face next to him, however, it was the first time he had realized that perhaps she was not leading the revolutionaries. He realized how much more likely it was that they were leading her.

Tenzin now stood in his chambers, filling a small sack with an extra robe and a shaving stone. His wife came and leaned on the doorframe, half of herself in the room, half out.

"A business trip, Tenzin? I thought you would have told me."

He didn't look up, instead only responded.

"No, not today. I'm sorry for the short notice, Pema, but I saw something in the courtyard today, something incredibly important. Dear, the Avatar made a housecall." Pema gasped in excitement, but she didn't say anymore.

"I think it'd be best if we keep this quiet for now. I'm sorry for such short notice, but I have an old friend in the Southern Water Tribe I think I'll need to pay a visit to." Pema nodded, and stepped out of the way when Tenzin made for the door.

"Don't take too long, Tenzin," Pema grinned and Tenzin grinned back, then turned and walked down the corridor. He stepped out onto the courtyard, which now had leaves and twigs strewn across it from his brief reintroduction to the Avatar. Tenzin sighed and blasted the surface clean with a current of air. He walked across to the bison enclosure, where Oogi lay alone in an afternoon nap. He opened the gate and saddled the great sky bison, then threw his belongings up onto his back.

"Good day, Oogi, we're going to see Tonraq." Tenzin climbed onto the bison's neck and then scooted up onto his head and grabbed the reins.

"Oogi; yip, yip."

Korra and the Red Lotus eventually did find Fan-Lei. It was about dinner time, and they decided to head to Narook's Noodles. It was a small and busy joint at night, they made some of the best food in the city. It proved to be a good choice for dinner, as they had an unannounced guest arrive about the same time as their food did.

"Well, Zaheer, I guess it's been a year now." Said Fan-Lei. He was 19 years old now, but he was still of a slight build. He wore what seemed to be the same black and green robe as he wore the last time he had travelled with them.

"Fan-Lei! It's good to see you again," Zaheer filled the young man in on the day's events. Korra listened along, but she was more fascinated by how Zaheer talked to Fan-Lei than his description of their day. Zaheer was always very separated from most of the group. Sure, he was close friends with Ghazan and Ming-Hua, and he was always friendly to Korra. He was closer than friends with P'li but he kept that out of the group's image. Despite their friendships, Zaheer was always slightly aloof. The only person he was truly friendly with was Fan-Lei. Korra made a mental note of this, and decided she would watch how he interacted with the group members for a while.

"Well, Fan-Lei, we're going to be travelling back to the Red Lotus Complex once we leave this city. Care to come along?"

"Sure, I've been itching to leave here. Truthfully, it only looks like a nice place."

"Excellent." Zaheer returned to his noodles and Fan-Lei ordered some for himself.

After the group was finished with their food, they left the noodlery. Zaheer led them, and they walked right back out of the city. Again, there were no police checks and no obvious borders. Instead, they simply walked out into the valley of two small mountain ranges.

Their journey back to the caves near the Northern Air Temple was quick, as they were not too far from the United Republic Lands. Korra returned to her small cell in the caves and slept.

The next morning, she rose early and headed to find where they were serving breakfast. It was another small cave, but larger than Korra's cell. A rice pot sat in the corner along with some cups of tea. The only others up were P'li and Fan-Lei. Korra sat between them and joined the conversation.

"Good morning," she began. The other two greeted her equally. She was not good at small talk, but figured she would try.

"Well, slept well?" The way she said it, it could have been a question or a statement. P'li decided to take it as a question.

"Definitely, these are the most comfortable stone floors." She went back to her rice, then left when she was finished. Fan-Lei didn't say anything, impermeable as ever. When he finished his rice he left as well.

_The most untalkative allies…_ Korra thought, then finished her rice as well. She wondered if Zaheer was up. Supposedly they were to begin airbending today, even if Zaheer couldn't, he could definitely show her the style.

Sure enough, Zaheer had been awake for some time, and was now sitting in a lotus position, meditating. The room he was in was the room full of reflecting crystals, and the sigil of the Red Lotus was emblazoned across from Zaheer's seat, on the other side of their reflecting pool.

"You're up early than I had expected. I am impressed," How Zaheer had known she was there, Korra would not know, since she had not even entered the room yet.

"Well, yea, I suppose. I guess I was excited to begin airbending training today."

"If you were excited to airbend, why have you waited for me to teach you? You know I can't teach you to airbend." Korra was taken aback, she hadn't heard Zaheer speak against himself before.

"Well, uh…"

"You can airbend, can't you?" Zaheer asked.

"Of course I can airbend! I just, haven't tried it yet."

"Well, why not?"

"Okay, I've tried it before, but I haven't been able to do it before. I was hoping with the airbending training, with you showing me some of the skills, I might be able to do it."

Zaheer did not respond. He got up from his position and turned to face the Avatar.

"Alright," he said. Then he slipped into a bagua stance.

"Airbending is all about circular motion. Air is a vortex, and to bend it, you must be a vortex yourself." He walked in a circle, his feet crossing over and his hands always pointed inward.

"Do this." He said, and Korra tried it herself. Zaheer did not have to correct her, years of previous bending and martial arts training meant she would pick up the motions quickly. Zaheer stopped moving and returned to his meditation. Korra stopped as well.

"Why did you stop?" He asked.

"You did. This doesn't airbend, aren't you supposed to show me how I can airbend."

"I did. Keep doing the circle walk, until I tell you to stop."

She sighed and returned to the circle walk. It was mindlessly tedious. It was not tiring or uncomfortable, like stances for other bending. The only thing she had to focus on was her mind. A half-hour passed until Zaheer again spoke.

"Is your mind peaceful?" He asked.

"Very bored." Korra responded, still in the circle walk.

"Then you aren't doing it right. Airbending is about adaptability and change. If your mind is focused on itself, you will not be ready to adapt to a new situation. Practice mindfulness. The circle walk is very nearly a form of meditation itself."

Korra snorted, she hated meditation, never had the patience for it. But then she realized, maybe that's why she could never airbend before. Perhaps Zaheer was right. She decided to concentrate on maintaining an open and peaceful mind. It was definitely hard. Her thoughts constantly slipped and broke her mental state.

_Perhaps a thought experiment could help._ she thought. She closed her eyes, and in her mind's eye she was surrounded by clouds. She continued the circle walk, and after she had done it long enough, she noticed the clouds had begun to spiral around her. She paid no heed to the development, only continuing her circle walk. The spiral of clouds had begun to disperse, and after sometime, there was nothing around her. No clouds, no thoughts. Her mind was as clear as a sunny day.

Her peace was interrupted by a lightning bolt of speech.

"Walked long enough?" Zaheer asked. When Korra opened her eyes, he was standing in front of her.

"I'd say you have. It's been three hours," said Zaheer. Only now did Korra begin to notice the soreness of her legs, from hours spent in a bent-leg walk. Her feet were sore and her arms tired from being held up so long.

"Three hours?" Korra asked, her face twisted in confusion.

"Yes, and I see you've figured out the virtue of patience. I'm surprised you picked that up so quickly, seeing as you never meditate."

"I never knew I could do that," Korra said.

"You'd be surprised what you can do. You're the Avatar," responded Zaheer.

Zaheer walked past Korra and out of the cave. She decided that he meant for her to follow him, and she did. They came out of the caves and Zaheer stopped and slipped into a bagua stance.

"Perform the circle walk with me," Zaheer commanded. Korra complied, and the walked in a circle around each other, as if one of them would throw a strike, but they did not. Instead, Korra slipped into the same peace of mind she had achieved only a few minutes before.

"Is your mind clear?" Zaheer asked.

"Yea, I think so."

"Airbend."

Korra decided she would try. She waved her arm across her body. It was weak, but she felt a small current of air caress her.

"Good job, but that was weak. Airbend!" Zaheer encouraged.

Korra did not stop the circle walk, but she threw a strike to her side, and a slightly larger current of air shot from her palm.

"It's still weak, but better. I thought this might be difficult for you to pick up. Well, more so than the other elements, it's so opposite of your personality. I'm impressed you've gotten this far so quickly.

They stopped the circle walk and Korra tried a wide variety of strikes. From some maneuvers she could not get air to move, and sometimes she would even firebend instead. Nevertheless, she worked tirelessly for a few hours and resumed the next day.

In two weeks, she was confident with the ability.

"Good," Zaheer told her, "you can bend all four elements. I think you're ready to engage the Avatar state."

**to be continued in Chapter 5, Unalaq**


End file.
